Tales from Driftwood Cottage - Training Day
by TheOwlGoesMoo
Summary: Mystery Dungeon styled AU. Driftwood Cottage has a reputation for producing some of the best and brightest warriors in all of Sinnoh. Unfortunately, its youngest member, a Kirlia named Nia, is feeling left out, with her own minimal skills not contributing to the team much. Thankfully for her, her big sister, a Gardevoir named Flidais, agrees to take her under her wing.
1. Chapter 1

Sandgem was as unremarkable of a town as anyone could want. For as close as it was to the ocean it had weathered the Cataclysm better than most small seaside villages. Despite that, it still held little of interest. There were homes - some in better condition that others, a few small shops, a beach littered with shells and ruined rotting boats, and a row of hopeful vendors' stalls whose owners were convinced that, any day now, the town would explode into a tourism hotspot. That hadn't happened yet, but they'd be ready when it did.

Still, there was one place worth seeing, and frankly it was hard to miss. At the very edge of town was a massive structure, a hodgepodge of ruined houses, ramshackle hallways, low towers, and single shack-like rooms poking out of every available surface, with new ones popping up seemingly overnight. The complex was made from whatever its residents could find, from the scavenged remains of other destroyed buildings, to the many old boats who washed ashore, to even more primitive means like boulders and old logs, though these had largely been replaced by more stable materials over the years.

This was Driftwood Cottage, its name as mismatched as its architecture. It was the home of the Diamond Platoon, a loose guild of adventures, rogues, wanderers, ne'er-do-wells, pirates, and self-proclaimed heroes. They all had their reasons for joining, whether it was a search for adventure, a want for companionship, or simply because they didn't fancy living under the land's many petty warlords.

The Platoon had been founded many years ago by the great Blaziken warrior Firebrand Breakbeak, whose deeds and those of his followers had spared many innocent lives during the Cataclysm. Though peace had followed those dark times, the Diamond Platoon still had many members, unwilling to leave or, in many cases, having no where else to go. It was their home, their family, and they would fight to keep it. And though Firebrand may have passed the torch of leadership long ago, his spirit still burns bright in the hearts of the Platoon, who are eager to keep his legacy alive.

This is their story.

***

Just outside the village of Sandgem was a hill. There was little to make it stand out from the many other hills surrounding the town, save for a single tree. It was a stout, stocky old oak, one that had watched the valley long before the town was built. The centuries had made its branches thick and sturdy, perfect for hanging a swing from. Long ago someone had seen to that, and now all these years later, the old rope and wooden seat still hung there. The swing held many memories, of sunny summer days and the happy squeals of its riders determined to swing themselves into the sky, to the secret meeting place of lovers stealing away from the prying eyes of the town, to just the best place to watch the sun sink into the sea beyond. It was a place of happy times and cherished moments.

But as the young Kirlia climbed the hill, alone and upset, it was obvious today wouldn't be among them.

The old swing bobbed back and forth lazily, its occupant not bothering to actually swing in it. Frankly she wasn't bothering to do much at all, only holding on to the tattered rope with one hand while the other hung limply by her side. Her legs hung over the seat, her feet just touching the long green grass as it swayed in the chill air.

"It's not fair..." the Kirlia muttered to herself, her ruby eyes downcast as she dejectedly stared down the hill at the houses below. The gray light of the overcast afternoon cast strange shadows over the town, and the first lights flickered on inside the homes for the coming evening.

It must be said that, for a secret hiding spot, the swing was a remarkably obvious one. The hill's low height and lack of any other foliage besides the lone tree offered little shelter.

What it did offer however, was solitude, and right now, that's all Nia needed. She was a young Kirlia, having barely come out of Raltshood. Her horns were little more than crimson ridges poking through her green hair, matching the large round baubles that held her pigtails together. She wore a short-sleeved loose white dress, one that was proving to have been far more comfortable during the warm Summer months than now.

A strong breeze blew over the hill from behind her, pushing the swing and blowing her hair and dress about. Nia shivered, the chill gust blowing through the white fabric. She let go of the rope and hugged herself, trying to shield against the wind. She knew she could get off the swing, walk down into the cottage and bask in the warmth of hearth and home, but she was in the middle of feeling sorry for herself, and that's terribly hard to do when you're warm and comfortable and surrounded by loved ones. No, the swing would have to do.

The autumn breeze blew again and she pulled her legs together, trying to curl up as best as the swing would allow her. It offset her balance, but that didn't matter. She was alone on the hill, alone with herself and her self-pity. Besides, the swing wasn't going anywhere-

"There you are!"

Nia jumped, sending the swing spinning wildly and making her lose what precious little balance she had. She tumbled off her precarious perch, landing with a face full of grass and her rump in the air. The mystery voice gasped, then suppressed a giggle. As Nia pushed herself back up, she felt two slender hands wrap around her waist and pull her to her feet, straightening her dress and dusting her off. The little girl shook her head to clear it, and found herself looking back at a pair of warm, equally crimson eyes. A familiar Gardevoir had knelt down in front of her, a soft smile on her face as she looked over her younger sibling, relieved.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I thought you heard me coming." She finally stopped probing Nia for any stray dirt and folded her hands in her lap.

"Hi Flidais…" Nia mumbled, looking away and crossing her arms, her frown deepening.

Although they had no blood relation beyond species, Flidais and Nia saw each other as family. The Gardevoir had taken the orphaned Kirlia under her wing, as the previous leader for the Diamond Platoon had done for her all those years ago. They were inseparable, both home and abroad. The only things that could pull them apart were missions, and, it seemed, bouts of sulking.

So it was little surprise that Flidais didn't need her empathic abilities to tell her Nia was upset. She also knew it would take some coaxing to get her to talk about it.

"Aren't you chilly out here? That dress doesn't look very warm, pixie."

"I'm fine." It was an obvious lie, but she kept a convincingly straight face, up until the wind picked up again and made her shiver. Flidais tilted her head, her expression worried. She could see the quiver of Nia's lips, the tightening self-hug, and the hints of a blush from anger, embarrassment, and the chill of the biting autumn cold.

The wind blew again, fiercer this time, and Nia tried to curl up further, only to find herself pulled into a warm, tight embrace. Flidais scooped Nia up, holding her adopted sister to her chest and running down the hill, her natural grace letting her almost fly over the ground, even with her burden. Nia gave only a marginal struggle, surrendering to her cozy captivity almost immediately.

***

Half a minute later they were down by their home, the misleadingly named Driftwood Cottage. A purple glow enveloped the dull brass door handle, twisting it open and allowing them in. Flidais closed the door in the same way, latching it before setting Nia back down. Color returned to her face almost as soon as the home's cozy heat hit her. Or at least as much color as her alabaster face held, anyway. The snug warmth also had the benefit of elevating Nia's mood from "depressive recluse" to just "deeply sad and upset." A tiny step in the right direction, sure, but it was a step all the same.

Still, Flidais' work was far from done, and Nia drifted deeper into the house, Flidais following behind a few paces. She watched as Nia pulled herself up the staircase and noisily plodded her way to their room, before a soft thud was heard from inside. Flidais climbed up after her and stopped outside it, knocking on the half-closed door.

"Pixie? Are you in there?"

"Yffmph…" came a muffled non-answer.

"Can I come in?"

"Shrrph."

With that Flidais stepped inside. Sure enough there was Nia, laying face down on her bed, head buried in her pillow. Flidais sat down on the foot of the bed, turning to her little sister.

For a long while they stayed like that, the only interruption coming from Nia pulling her legs in away from Flidais, slightly raising her backside in the air. It would have been comical, had it not been for the poor girl's distress. Flidais scooted closer to the green and white blob crumpled up on the bed and laid a hand on her back. Nia only lay there, gloomily accepting the gesture.

"Okay, what's wrong, Nia?" Flidais asked, her tone firm yet kind. It was the tone of voice that says "I'm going to get an answer and I'll make you give me one, because I love you very much."

"Nuffing!" a far clearer answer came from the pillow than before, and Flidais pressed the advantage.

"It sure seems like a pretty big nothing to get you like this, sweetie."

Flidais felt her sister's shoulders tense. Without warning, she rolled over on her back and flopped down, arms outstretched and glaring despairingly up at the ceiling.

"It's not fair!" she screamed, a half-sob caught in her throat. "You guys all go on adventures and fight bad guys, and I'm just... I'm just... I'm...useless." She turned over, her back facing Flidais.

Flidais's mouth hung open in shock. She had imagined many things had gotten to her little sister, but this... this wasn't one of them. Fortunately her mouth had processed this news far quicker than her mind or emotions had.

"Nia, you're not useless, you-"

"Yes I am! I can't fight bad guys, I can't go exploring, I can't do any moves!"

Flidais was taken aback, but quickly regained her composure. "No, don't say that. I've seen your Lucky Chant, it's really good!"

Nia just huffed. "A lotta good that is..."

"Don't put yourself down like that. Maybe it's not the..." She was about to say "not the best move", but quickly realized saying that wouldn't have been the best move itself.

"You just have to keep at it. You'll keep getting better the more you practice."

There was a long, painful silence. At last, sensing its occupant wanted to be left alone, Flidais pushed herself up off the small bed. She turned to look down at the small green figure curled up in its corner.

"Nia?"

Nia didn't respond.

"Nia, you know we're happy to have you on the team. I'M happy to have you on the team. Do you believe me?"

Nia made a noncommittal groan from the bed, and Flidais sighed, shaking her head. She crossed the room to the door, opening it before stopping in the doorway, and glanced back.

"I'm proud of you, sis. You're going to do more than you'd ever think you could."

Nia remained quiet.

"Love you, little Pixie."

"Love you too..." Nia murmured automatically, just loud enough to let Flidais hear it. Flidais gave her a weak smile, before shutting the door.

***

The mug of tea had stopped steaming, its contents almost untouched while its drinker sat dejectedly at the round, wooden kitchen table. Flidais swirled the cup in her hands absentmindedly, unable to get her mind off what Nia had said. Flidais believed what she had said, that the girl did have great potential in her. Still, that didn't disprove Nia's counterpoint. True, her skills were somewhat... minimal, when it came to combat at least. Flidais didn't blame her for this, of course, Nia being as young as she was.

That didn't make growing up and watching the world pass you by any easier, however. Flidais knew how that felt. Her own mentor, Diamond's founder and former leader Firebrand, had always led the charge into battle, while she had been able to do little more than provide nominal support to the fight. She was practically a Gardevoir before she learned any real hard-hitting moves. She remembered fighting alongside the fearsome Blaziken proudly, for those early adventures were some of her fondest memories.

Her ride down Memory Lane came to a literal fiery crash as one of the kitchen cabinets tore free from the wall and landed on the floor with a cacophony of splintering wood and metal pots banging into anything and everything nearby, mostly each other. Adding to the symphony of destruction was a chorus of howls and screeching profanity.

There, standing over the wreckage, was Hellfire, the current leader of The Diamond Platoon. The Infernape was stomping on the ruined cabinet, apparently deciding it wasn't destroyed enough yet. His temper, true to his nature, was fiery, but like how the hottest fires burn out the fastest, his simmered down soon enough, and when he spotted the thick bunch of yellow bananas he had been reaching for, it cooled immediately. He grabbed the lot and tore one off, popping it in his mouth without bothering to remove the peel first. It was only after he had swallowed the heavenly fruit that he noticed Flidais sitting in stunned silence.

"I think it's safe now." he muttered flatly with a sheepish smirk, before joining her at the table, stuffing another banana down his gullet.

"So what're you doing down here, Flee?" he asked, twisting another banana open to reveal its precious contents. When he wasn't met with the usual huff from his chosen nickname for her, he lowered the fruit and leaned forward.

"Alright, what's going on. Did Castabra leave another dead bird in your room?"

"No, it's not that. And don't be so hard on her, she's not so bad when you give her a chance... Chances."

Hellfire stowed his grudge against the Weavile for now and pointed the dissected banana at Flidais.

"Well, what is it?"

"It's Nia." Flidais sighed, taking a long sip of the cold tea before continuing. "She doesn't feel like she's contributing. She even told she thinks she's... 'useless'." The word stung as she finally spat it out.

"Yeah, heard that." Hellfire grunted, squeezing the banana into a mush in its own skin. Flidais blinked, surprised.

"You... heard that?"

"How could you not? The squirt can make some noise when she wants." Satisfied his banana was sufficiently mashed, he stuck a finger in the slit of the peel and scooped out the grayish mush. Flidais tried not to cringe as he slurped up the fruit with his usual table manners.

"So," he began after eating the peel as well, "what are you going to do about that?"

"Do what?"

Hellfire snorted. "Do about Nia. She's bummed out, you're concerned. What's your plan?"

Flidais stuttered, taken aback. "I don't really... What would you do?"

"Train her."

Flidais nearly dropped the mug. "Wh-what? You're not... She's too young!" Hellfire only scoffed.

"I was younger than her when I went out in the world. So were you."

"I had Firebrand with me."

"Exactly." He began peeling another banana. "If the old bird thought it was a good idea, then why not?"

"Because I'm not Firebrand." Flidais huffed. Hellfire sighed, rubbing his temple. "Neither of us are. But you ARE Flidais, and that means a whole lot more to that kid than Ol' Beaky."

When she didn't respond, he snorted back a laugh. "Come on, don't tell me you haven't noticed. She worships the ground you walk on. If you offer to teach her, you'll make her year."

Hellfire gulped down his banana as he watched her mull it over, swirling the mug in her hands nervously. Finally, she spoke.

"If you think it's a good idea..."

"I do. Now go tell her. I don't like seeing her mope around any more than you do."

Flidais gave a weak chuckle. "It can't hurt, right?"

"It can always hurt, but it's a risk worth taking." He reached for the last banana before pausing and holding it up to her. "Hey, did you want one?"

"Uh, no thanks, I'm fine-" No sooner did she say 'no' before he popped it in his mouth.

***

Not a minute later Flidais found herself outside her door once again. At first it hadn't been hard, eager to take any excuse to not watch Hellfire do unspeakable things to more fruit. Right now though, she'd happily watch him desecrate an entire crate of bananas if it meant not going opening the door.

Okay, half a crate. She wasn't that desperate.

But, that wasn't a choice she could make. The choice was opening her door. Her hand was frozen on the handle, her mind paralyzing her. Fears and doubts buzzed in her mind, each screeching their protests louder than the last. Was she making a mistake? What if Nia hurt herself? What if she hurt Nia? What if -

No, no the mistake was leaving that door closed.

She steeled herself, and with an immense force of will, turned the knob and pushed the door open. The creaking of the long unoiled hinges seemed to ring through the hallway. Despite her fears, Flidias managed to force herself through the door frame.

What she saw inside didn't fill her with any more confidence. Still on her bed lay Nia, flopped on her back with an old issue of "LUDICRASH!" by her side. The comic recounted the adventures of the titular Ludi, a clumsy Ludicolo superhero, and his Lombre sidekick Soggy, a perpetual pessimist and wet blanket. Despite the rather creepy-looking protagonist, Nia loved it, although right now Flidais could guess which of the pair the poor girl could relate to.

Flidais cleared her throat, causing Nia to look up. She wasn't looking any happier than when Flidais had last been in here.

"Hey, Pixie."

"Hi..."

Taking that as as much of an invitation as she was going to get, Flidais stepped in and sat on the foot of the bed. After not getting any response from Nia, she picked up the discarded comic and flipped it over, reading the cover. It featured a large yellow splash of its hero popping out of an ice cream cart, sending frozen treats flying everywhere as he threw the lids open. Flidais tried to force a grin as the beaked pineapple monstrosity stared out at her.

"What are you reading?"

"Just a comic. It's dumb." Well she wasn't wrong. As Flidais flipped through the issue, she found the cover seemed to summarize the plot quite succinctly. Still, this wasn't the time to discuss Nia's taste in reading material. Flidais set the unsightly comic down on the bed and turned to her sister, this time her smile less forced.

"So, I talked to Hellfire a little while ago." Nia perked back up, this time looking genuinely curious. Seeing she had her attention this time, Flidais continued.

"He gave me a very special mission. Tomorrow, you and I are going to go out..."

Nia was sitting up fully now, her round eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.

"...And go train together."

Time seemed to stop. The world was silent, so silent Flidais could swear she could hear her own heartbeat, quickening in anticipation. Nia's eyes only grew wider, until in a whisper she asked just two words.

"For really?"

"For really." Flidais chuckled at her sister's choice of words.

Then the wind was knocked out of her.

"YES! YES YES YES OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!"

It was as if all the world's joy had been sucked into Nia and was now bursting out in a violent maelstrom of pure happiness. She launched herself at Flidais, knocking her off-balance and onto the bed, as she gave her older sister as bone-crushing a hug as her small arms would let her.

"THANK YOU THANK YOU OH MY GOSH YOU'RE THE BEST BIG SISTER EVER!"

The room itself seemed brighter as Nia alternated between dancing around the room with her usual boundless energy and tackling Flidais with more hugs. It didn't take long for her to find her way out of the room as she pranced through the house, her excitement radiating off her as she sang and whooped her glee to the world. She would pause only to share her world-changing good news with any of the other members of the Platoon she ran into, some of whom congratulated her, while others were less than pleased that she let herself into their rooms to squeal in their faces. Nia didn't care though, and for the next fifteen minutes Driftwood Cottage was ablaze with her seemingly-limitless happiness, stopped only by Nia finally collapsing on the carpet in a giggling exhausted heap.

Flidais finally caught up to her, scooping her up and carrying her back upstairs.

"Come on, little warrior, they'll be plenty to use that energy on in the morning."

***

The soft white sounds stretched on for miles, broken only by the occasional brightly-colored shell. The azure sky was bright and warm, littered with enormous puffy clouds drifting lazily across the endless blue. The turquoise sea lapped at the shore as crabs scuttled at its edge, searching hungrily for the sea's many bounties. Behind the beach was a thick green jungle, every tree and bush bursting with vibrant-colored juicy fruit, where even the smallest berry was the size of your fist.

In the middle of this paradise was a single beach chair, its occupant sunning herself in the bright sunlight as she sipped at a drink as bright as the fruit in the jungle. Flidais breathed in the heavenly air, filled with the intoxicating scents of salty ocean and the ripe fruit.

A Wingull landed beside her chair and looked up hungrily, its shining blue eyes and smiling beak begging for both treats and attention. Flidais adjusted her sunglasses and stretched out a hand to stroke the silly-looking bird.

"Well hello there!" She cooed, scratching under its beak.

"Wake up!"

Flidais blinked, taken aback by the bird's strange response.

"Beg pardon?"

"Flidais, wake up!" It squawked again.

"Wake up wake up WAKE UP!"

Something slammed into her chest and Flidais' eyes shot open. There, sprawled across her, was Nia. The Kirlia's scolding eyes widened to excitement as Flidais started crawling out of dreamland, only to scowl at her when Flidais shut her eyes again. Nia scampered to her feet and glared down at her lazy sister.

"Come on, it's morning! Get up!" To assert her point, Nia started jumping on the bed, emphasizing each bounce with another "get up!", her loose pigtails and oversized t-shirt bouncing with her. Flidais turned over, covering her face with a pillow. Nia didn't give up however, and knelt down to try pulling the pillow off, grunting with effort.

"You've slept enough! Get up- YAH!"

Flidais sprung up and wrapped her arms around Nia, pulling her in under the covers and cuddling her like a large teddy bear. It was hard not to laugh at her annoyed squirming.

"Five more minutes..."

"No! No more minutes! Lemme go!"

Flidais loosened her grip just enough to let Nia wiggle free and finally gave up trying to get any more sleep. Blearily she rubbed her eyes and looked out the window. The first purple streaks of sunrise were poking over the horizon. Well, it was morning, in the most technical sense.

With all the grace of a Snorlax waddling across the grease-splattered floor of a free all-you-can-eat buffet, Flidais pulled herself out of bed, with Nia helpfully pushing her from behind. Any hope for getting more sleep was long gone by this point, and touching the cold wooden floor with her feet only confirmed that. Flidais shambled out into the dark hallway, Nia scrambled after her and began peppering her with questions.

"What are we gonna start with first? Shadow Ball?"

"No, Pixie, not for a long time."

"Psyshock?"

"Something simpler for now."

"Fire Blast?"

"We can't use Fire Blast, sweetie."

The barrage of questions, suggestions, and more than a few "why not?"s continued throughout their morning routine. From breakfast, to brushing their teeth, to getting dressed for the day. The only reprieve came when it was Nia's turn to use the shower, and even then Flidais could hear her sing-song speculations through the wall.

Finally though, Nia's lack of patience was rewarded. Together, hand in hand, teacher and student stepped out the front door. The sun peaked over the horizon, bathing them in golden orange light as they marched out to face the day, and all the possibilities it held.


	2. Chapter 2

The crisp tang of the cool autumn breeze blew through the grassy clearing as master and student climbed over the lip of the ancient crater. Gentle sloping hills turned to sharp craggy peaks as one went around the crater's lip, soft grass replaced with dirt and stone. In the center of this great dip in the earth was a small pond, its glistening water reflecting the pale blue sky, and the sisters as they stood by its banks.

Flidais stared across the invisible boundary separating her from her apprentice. The Gardevoir tried to keep the straight-faced, stony mask of a teacher, but it wasn't proving easy. Despite her misgivings, despite the nagging worries in the back of her mind, and despite roughly five hours of sleep, Flidais couldn't help but feel excited. She was going to be a teacher! She was going to show her sister the ways of a warrior. She was going to watch her little Pixie grow up.

Keeping that straight face wasn't made any easier by Nia. She had skipped more than walk on their way here, throwing in a few sprightly spins for good measure. Even now, she was practically dancing on the spot.

Flidais cleared her throat, falling back into teacher mode. Nia stared up at her, the Kirlia's already massive smile widening further as she did.

"Now, my apprentice, what is the first rule of combat?"

Nia frowned, her brow furrowing in thought as she tapped her chin.

"To win...?"

"That-" Flidais raised a finger, about to correct Nia when she stopped, mouth open. She wasn't wrong.

"That, well... yes. That is important. But, the first rule is always have another plan. Sometimes your first strategy won't work. Let's say I want to open with a Psybeam."

Flidais's hands moved in a complex, intricate pattern as the air around her seemed to darken, before a magenta glow enveloped her fingers. She slammed her hands together in front of her, launching a brilliant purple lance of pure psychic energy into the sky. Nia watched wide-eyed, gasping in amazement as the lance exploded in the air in a bright light. She loved watching the Platoon's attacks, and loved her sister's displays most of all.

"But," Flidais coughed, bringing Nia back to the present. "What if I'm fighting a Dark type? I can't do a thing to them with a psychic attack."

She motioned for Nia to step back, and began stretched her hands out towards a nearby grove of trees. A violent wind blew through them, pulling dozens of leaves off their branches. The leaves flew towards Flidais, circling her as they grew stiff and their edges sharpened. A bright violet aura surrounded each of the deadly leaves as they spun faster and faster around their master, before Flidais pointed her hand at a boulder on the other end of the pond. The swarm of deadly flora blasted towards the boulder, leaving deep gashes in the stone as they impacted and shattered on it.

Magical Leaf. For such a whimsical name, its power was something to be feared in the right hands. Flidais motioned for Nia to come forward, giving her a rare cocky smirk. Flidais took great pride in her abilities, and though she'd never admit it to herself, loved having an appreciative audience.

"So, as you can see..." She placed a hand on Nia's shoulder and pointed her towards the devastated boulder. "It pays to have options."

Nia was bouncing on the balls of her feet, utterly mesmerized by the beautiful, terrible display.

"I wanna do that! Show me! Show me show me show me!" She tugged on Flidais' arm, pulling it with her with every frantic bounce.

"Easy, Pixie, easy. That's a pretty advanced technique. There's a lot of steps to-"

"Please?"

"Let's start with something simpler-"

"Pleeeeeeaaaaaaaase?" Her eyes grew wide and glistening, with just a hint of worry on the edge. Her mouth formed a little hopeful smile, one that looked ready to burst wide open if Flidais would just say yes. Her head was tilted just slightly to the side, as she stared up at her sister, begging her to make the right choice.

Nia was doing The Face. No, no no no, Flidais told herself, she was not going to-

"Come on, sis, please? Just let me try once!"

It was too much. With a heavy sigh, Flidais' shoulders slumped in surrender. Nia had won.

"One day I'm going to learn to say no to that face." Flidais admitted defeat with a wry smirk, and readied her first impromptu lesson.

"Now, the first step is to plant your feet firmly. This is a Grass move, so you want to feel that connection with nature."

Whether this was actually necessary or not, Flidais didn't know, but she found it helped concentrate on the rest of the steps. Nia obeyed, bowing her legs slightly and shifting her feet to be as flat to the ground as possible. Satisfied with her stance, the Kirlia turned to her teacher expectantly.

"Then what?"

"You have to stay focused, sweetie."

"Focused, right, sorry." Nia's head snapped back forward, blushing slightly from her misstep.

"Now, hold your arms out behind you, like this. Yes, that's it. Now, spread your fingers, let the air flow through them. Good, good, like that."

Flidais watched on proudly as Nia followed her directions, clumsily but accurately. The Kirlia shut her eyes, squinting hard as she tried to focus on guiding the wind with her will. It wasn't proving easy. Her head her head was buzzing with brief scraps of thoughts. Was she doing it right? Could she even do it? What if she was using the wrong leaves? No no, Flidais did it. That was cool. I wish I could do fire moves, those are really cool. How do you not get burned though? How does Hellfire's head stay on fire? This dress is itchy. I wonder if-

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind of distractions, and began again. After a minute of intense concentration, a soft breeze blew around her. It wasn't strong enough to do more than ruffle her pigtails, but it was enough for her.

"I did it!" She squealed in delight, turning to Flidais grinning, only to be met with a bemused smirk.

"Yes, yes you did, but there's still a few more steps. Try again."

Embarrassed, Nia turned back, trying to summon the wind again. It came easier this time, though not by much. Flidais watched as it came back, a very faint whirlwind surrounding the girl.

"That's better. Now guide the wind to that tree over there and pluck a few leaves."

Nia began moving her arms as she herded her breeze to the same tree Flidais had used. It was slow going, with Nia constantly and frantically correcting her course. Eventually though she led her whirlwind to the top of the tree and held it there, gently tugging at it. She was rewarded in time with a leaf. A single leaf.

Flidais called to Nia to bring her wind back, and she began the complex dance to guide her prize towards her. After a minute it came back, the leaf swirling lazily around its mistress. Flidais looked pleased, grinning proudly at her student's progress.

"Very good! Now you have to sharpen the-"

"GYAAAAAH!"

Caught in the moment, Nia blasted the leaf forward, not having heard Flidais's last command. Her sudden gust carried it several yards away, before her air stream broke apart and the leaf drifted harmlessly down to the ground, landing softly on the grass without bending a blade.

Nia stared at the leaf, disbelief etched on her face.

"That's it?" She asked dumbfoundedly, an edge of disgust in her tone.

Her head and shoulders slumped in disappointment. She thought she had put everything she had in her effort! And what did she do? She got a leaf. One, single, leaf. She hadn't even reached the destroyed rock, she hadn't even hurt the grass! Stupid, dumb, useless-

Her self-loathing assessment came to an abrupt halt as suddenly she found herself in the air and spinning around. Flidais had picked her up and spun her around, before bringing her into a tight hug.

"That was fantastic! Oh Pixie, I am so proud!"

Nia blinked, deeply confused.

"But, but I messed up?"

Flidais loosened her grip, letting Nia lean back in her arms to meet her gaze. Flidais still beamed.

"You grabbed a leaf off the tree. That's a huge step for your first real try."

"Even just one?" Nia tilted her head. Flidais nodded.

"Even just one. We'll have to work on making your leaves a little more..." She looked at the remarkably non-lethal leaf still sitting on the grass, "...effective, but that's still a great start. That's a pretty advanced technique for a beginner."

Nia rewarded her with a smile, looking more pleased with herself than she had, and Flidais set her down. Well, it was a start, and not a bad one.

***

"Let's practice with something simpler. Confusion is a basic attack, but its usefulness shouldn't be overlooked."

The pair had walked a short distance from their previous training spot to clearer grounds, away from the pond and the scattered boulders. Flidais didn't fancy an accidental swim should something go awry.

"There's a lot less steps than Magic Leaf, don't worry. All you have to do is reach out and scramble your foes thoughts. It may not sound like much, but in the heat of battle, you can turn the tide almost immediately." Flidais smirked to herself, remembering when she had been jumped by three Primeape thugs, until she convinced one of them that the other two had said some very unkind things about his mother and the shape of her snout. "Just distracting the enemy for a few seconds can make all the difference."

Nia raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in confusion herself.

"So, how do I do it?"

"It's quite easy, really. You just have to reach into your opponent's consciousness and put a thought in there that will distract them. It could be something silly, or something that makes them angry, or just something that makes no sense. Sometimes you can even convince them that their friends are the enemy, or even that they are themselves!" There was a hint of wicked glee in her tone as she described the last possibility. That was always fun.

"Okay, but... what do I use it on?" Nia scanned the valley, wondering if Flidais had brought someone else along.

"Oh, you can practice on me." Flidais answered matter-of-factly. Nia's eyes widened in shock.

"W-what!?" Nia jumped back, shaking her head and waving her hands in protest. "No, no no no no no!"

But Flidais raised her hand to calm her. "Sweetie, it's fine. We're both psychic, you won't be able to do any real harm to me." The fact that Nia was highly inexperienced was also a significant factor, but Flidais kept that little tidbit to herself.

"I-if you're sure..." Nia didn't look convinced, but shuffled back to her previous spot, looking up at her sister uneasily.

"I'm quite sure. Now go ahead, Pixie. Whenever you're ready."

Flidais took a few steps back and stood relaxed, arms open and palms facing Nia. Trusting her sister's strange judgment, Nia shut her eyes, concentrating. After a few moments, she was back in her mental plane. She reached out, feeling her surroundings. She felt the faint traces of insects crawling through the grass and dirt. She felt the Poliwags splashing merrily in the pond. But most of all, she felt Flidais. The psychic's presence was as subtle as a flare in the night sky. She glowed radiantly, the magenta light spilling on the ground, drowning out anything else nearby. Hesitantly, Nia stretched out to her, trying to reach into her mind. Her own tendrils of thought thrashed wildly, Nia barely able to steady them.

After several not terribly graceful tries, Nia made contact, connecting with the Gardevoir's powerful mind. She couldn't read her thoughts, Flidais's mental shields far too powerful for Nia's inexperienced probing, but she still thought she could slip an idea in there. But what to choose? Something to make her angry? No no, that was a terrible idea. Maybe something funny, yeah that was good. But what? Nia's mind wondered back to the comic she had been reading last night. It wasn't that dumb, now she thought about it. She loved it when Ludi, the Ludicolo protagonist, grabbed his Lombre sidekick Soggy, and spun him around in joy when he heard the ice cream truck's song-

Without warning, a small white orb escaped from Nia and flew towards Flidias. It was halfway there before Nia tried thought to stop it, but it was too late. In horror she watched it sink into the vast well of Flidais's thoughts.

"Oh no..."

Nia's eyes shot open, breaking her concentration as she stared in terror at Flidais. To her surprise, Flidais still stood there, unmoving. Her eyes were closes, and a look of serenity was on her face. Maybe it wasn't so bad, maybe Nia had stopped it, or messed it up, or-

Flidais opened her eyes, and her mouth grew into a massive smile, one of bottomless joy. She charged at Nia, grabbing her by the shoulders before Nia could even think of turning to run.

'LLLLLUDILUDILUDI!" Flidias screamed at the top of her lungs, imitating the hero's catchphrase, if you could call it that. "SOGGY! MY FRIEND! DO YOU HEAR THAT BEAUTIFUL MUSIC?"

Nia gulped, squirming slightly in Flidais's surprisingly strong grip as she tried to look the madly-grinning Gardevoir in the face. "W-what music?"

"AH-HA-HA-HA! OH YOU SILLY FROGGY, THE ICE CREAM MUSIC!, OF COURSE!  
THE TRUCK IS COMING THIS WAY!"

"I still don't hear- YAAH!" Without warning, Flidais grabbed Nia's hands in her own, and began spinning joyously, lifting the incredibly scared Kirlia into the air.

"WE ARE GETTING ICE CRFEAM TODAY, SOGGY! IT IS A GOOD DAY! LLLLLUDILUDILUDILUDILUUUUUU!"

"PUT! ME! DOO-HO-HO-HOWN!" Nia screamed, and to her surprise, Flidais obliged. Nia sat on the ground, her head still spinning as she looked up at Flidais, hoping that maybe she had snapped out of her delusion.

That hope was shattered when she saw Flidais still had her hyperactive grin.

"OF COURSE, FROGGY-MAN. HOW COULD I BE SO SILLY? I CAN'T CARRY YOU AND THE ICE CREAM! LET US GO, SOGGY!" With another scream of "ludi-ludi", Flidais dashed off towards the pond.

"HALT DAIRY MAN, YOUR FROZEN GOODS ARE MINE!"

Without warning, without reason, and without hesitation, Flidais hurdled herself into the pond, her arms outstretched in front of her as if she could fly. She landed with a loud smack of a bellyflop, sending a cascade of murky water flying. Nia gasped, running to her sister in fear. Oh no, oh no oh no oh no, this wasn't good. Nia waded into the water, grabbing Flidais's legs, and tried to pull her out.

"Come on, sis! Get out of there! Come on!" She tugged and tugged, barely moving the much larger pokemon. Panic began to set in, and Nia pulled desperately, finally setting foot on land again.

No sooner had she reached the shore than did Flidias start flailing her legs, before her head burst out of the water. She spat out the murky liquid, gagging on it, though thankfully more because of the taste than fighting for breath. She knelt in the shallow water by the shore, shaking a hail of water droplets off her.

"Oh sweet ARCEUS why does it taste like feet? It tastes like asparagus and FEET!" She stuck out her tongue, trying to wipe the foulness of the pond off it before she realized where she was.

"Nia." She asked icily, pulling a strand of seaweed out of her hair. "Why am I sitting in the pond?"

Nia's relieved smile turned into an embarrassed grimace. "Well..."

They sat in the sun, far, far away from the pond, and the irritated poliwags who chirped angrily at them, their tranquil pond disturbed by the invaders. The sun had climbed high enough to at least be somewhat warm, and helped to dry them off. Flidais rang out the skirt of her dress again, squeezing out a bit more water. The white fabric had been dyed a dirty brown, though she had at least gotten most of the seaweed and moss off it.

Flidais's face burned bright red as Nia finished her account of what had happened, intermixed with many, many apologies thrown in, and a few less apologetic giggles.

There was a long silence as they stretched out together, soaking up the sun.

"...We never, ever, speak of this again. Got it?"

"Not even to-"

"ESPECIALLY not to Hellfire. Or anyone at the Manor. Or anyone at all. I don't care if Dialga himself comes and asks, you don't breathe a word of this."

"Okay." Nia agreed, thinking it over. "Wait, but couldn't Dialga just reverse time and-"

Flidais shot her a look, and Nia shut up.


	3. Chapter 3

Large swathes of white wispy clouds coated the sky like the strokes of an immense paintbrush as the cool sun shone down on the porcelain faces of the sisters. They were the very picture of contention. The day was beautiful, this place was beautiful, and in Nia, there were the first sparks of real confidence, a confidence with herself she had never known before. Her abilities might have been amateurish for now, but she had them all the same. For the first time in her life she felt like she could do something, really do something!

Nia stretched, still slightly sore from the morning's lessons. Flidais had shown her a few more basic techniques after the pond incident that must never be spoken of again. She had learned 'Double team', a basic illusion that made it far harder for the enemy to hit her. She had learned to better calm her mind, increasing her psychic potential. She had even tried her hand at basic hypnosis, but that had ended in roughly twenty minutes of missing time for her, and finding herself trying to dangle from a low-hanging branch, convinced she was a Zubat. Thankfully, Flidais had managed to pull her down before things got complicated.

Battiness aside however, the lesson was over, at least for now. The sun had climbed high in the sky over the past few hours, crowning the jagged, sheer mountain peaks that towered over the valley. All was at peace, silent save for the bird songs of a few migrating Swellows and the wind sweeping over the hills.

Flidais took a long breath of the autumn air, before exhaling it in a sigh of pure contentment. She twisted her neck to look up at Nia, who lay opposite to her.

"I used to come here with Firebrand, you know. Back when I was your age."

Nia tilted her head, trying to meet her sister's gaze. Sensing her interest, Flidais continued.

"We'd come to train together, not unlike today, actually." Flidais chuckled softly. Sensing a story coming, Nia crawled over to Flidais and nestled in under her arm, making herself at home. Flidais pulled her closer and began.

***

"Easy now, don't clench down on it, let it flow between your hands."

Even kneeling down, the Blaziken towered over the far smaller Kirlia as she tried to keep control over the ethereal purple orb in her hands. It ebbed and wobbled between her fingers as she struggled just to keep it spherical.

"Gently, gently... Not that gently-!"

"YAAH!"

The orb expanded rapidly before exploding in her hands in a puff of purple smoke, filling the air with an electric smell of burnt copper. The kirlia tumbled backwards, landing in the outstretched talon-like hands of her mentor. He picked her up and set her back on her feet, before she stomped her foot in a huff.

"Stupid- It's no use! I can't do this stupid move!"

"Not if you give up just like that, no." The Blaziken reassured her with a gruff chuckle, patting her head. "Try again, Flidiais."

Seventeen years. It had been seventeen years ago when she had come out here for the first time with Firebrand. He was in his prime then. His feathers were bright and glossy, a fiery red and gold to rival his flames. The crack in his beak was smaller, barely more than a hairline fracture at the time. His talons were sharp and white, elegant as they were deadly. But most of all were his eyes. They still burned bright and shining, revealing a vitality that was ready to take on the world and all it could throw at him.

That firestorm of energy was contrasted sharply by his outfit. The sky-blue tunic and the loose black pants seemed far too muted for the ferocious warrior. It made him look more like a monk or scholar than one of the most ferocious warriors on Sinnoh, which was exactly why he liked it.

Flidais wore an identical tunic, though on her smaller frame, the tunic came down to her knees. Many a time Firebrand had offered her a better-fitting outfit, but each time she refused. She'd stumble and tumble her way in the tunic, often tripping over herself, but still, she persisted. Firebrand had to admire that, no matter how adorably silly it looked.

Flidais sat back down, crossing her legs as she held out her hands, summoning the ethereal energies that flowed through the air. Wisps of black and lavender smoke began to coalesce around her hands, drifting towards their center. Excited by her success, Flidais clamped her hands together, only to dispel the ghostly ribbons in a puff of colored vapor.

Flidais stared dumbfounded at the lack of a Shadow Ball in her hands, before crying out in frustration, angry tears starting to form. She threw her arms up to the sky in defiant fury, before the slumped limply to her side. She pulled herself into a ball, laying her crossed arms across her upturned knees, and lay her head on her arms.

Her despair didn't have a chance to set in, however. No sooner had she curled up did Firebrand place a talon on her shoulder, shaking her gently.

"Come now, don't give up yet. You'll get it right in due time."

Flidais unfolded herself, but still sulked. Firebrand sat beside her, inviting her to scoot closer. She obliged.

"What if I don't?"

"We'll keep trying, and-"

"But what if!" It was more of a plea than a threat. Firebrand sighed.

"Flidais, did you always know Confusion?"

Flidais looked slightly abashed as she admitted a "no...", turning her head to look away from the bird.

"What about Magical Leaf?"

"No, but-"

"And Heal Pulse?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Flidais," Firebrand gently put a finger under Flidais's chin, turning the girl to look at him. "You had to train to learn all of those, and you succeeded. This will be no different. And if you truly can't master it, you have plenty of other options. If you truly can't get one down, well, so be it."

At that she gave him a weak smile, and he returned it.

"I'm proud of you. You've come a long way, and I know you'll keep going. You're easily my best student."

I'm your only student." She giggled, looking considerably happier.

"Well that doesn't make it any less true." He gave a gruff chuckle. He stood up with a groan, stretching his legs to their full considerable length.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could do for a walk. Care to come with?" Not waiting for an answer, he started strolling away with a grin, knowing her response.

"Hey, wait up!" And right on cue, Flidais ran after him. He picked up the pace as she got closer, staying just out of reach. This was no longer about catching up to him, but catching him. She charged for his legs, but he sidestepped just in time. Quickly she turned around and ran back after him, arms outstretched to tag him. He leaped to the side as she made another dash towards him.

Firebrand smiled to himself. She was getting faster.

They kept the impromptu game of tag going for a while longer, Firebrand sidestepping, jumping, and even just stepping over his pint-sized pursuer. Flidais wasn't giving up, rushing him with a mix of frustrated giggling. She had speed, but he had reach.

Without warning, he backflipped behind her. Flidais was stunned, not sure what happened. Firebrand took the chance and grabbed her under her arms, hoisting her up with a squeal of delight and setting her on his shoulders. When she was properly settled in, she bopped him on the head.

"Got you!"

"You got me." He chuckled. "Well, for your prize, what would you like?"

"Go fast!" She ordered, excited.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go go go!"

"Very well, hold on." Firebrand waited until she had a firm grip on his head feathers. Normally he would have objected, but with how light the Kirlia was, he hardly felt the tug. With her firmly grasping his head and he more gently holding her ankles, he took off, charging through the wide-open grassy valley.

Flidais had never been flying before, but it had to feel like this. The wind whipped at her hair and face as the Blaziken ran through the valley, his long powerful legs leaping off the ground with each step, propelling him forward with incredible speed. She screamed in sheer adrenaline-fueled delight as he ran to the pond, doing a lap around it before running back to their training ground. It was magical, something she never wanted to end.

But of course, all things do, in time.

Flidias sat up further, feeling the breeze against her cheeks. It was nowhere near as intense as the wind rushing past her as Firebrand circled the valley, but that connection to the past was something precious. She smiled at the nostalgia of it all.

"He was right, in the end. It took a few more months, but I can do a mean Shadow Ball now."

She smirked at Nia, the Kirlia looking eager to see more of her sister's techniques. Knowing the answer already, Flidais asked "Would you like to see?"

Flidais hadn't even finished asking before Nia started wagging her head up and down. "Show me! Show me show me show me!" She hopped up and began shaking Flidais's shoulders, her attempt to hurry her sister up only slowing the Gardevoir down.

"Okay, okay, you've convinced me!" Flidais laughed, gently pushing Nia off. "Now stand back."

Nia took a few cautionary steps back, and Flidais closed her eyes, holding her arms just slightly away from her. Her mind drifted into the Immaterial, calling the wisps of darkness to her. Shadow Ball was a terrifying technique, one that tapped into the dark auras that permeated through the air, gathering them together in a dark purple orb of pure destruction, before launching it at the foe and hitting them with raw power. The technique was largely only used by ghosts, who were able to tap into their natural element far more safely than others, but a talented - or crazy - psychic could learn to use it. Flidais fell into the former. She hoped.

The shadows coalesced into a pulsing black orb, shimmering with ethereal reds and purples. There was a dark beauty to it, perfectly spherical and thrumming with power. She balanced it delicately between her hands, testing its stability. It held true, and Flidais smiled, a hint of that latter category beginning to creep in. She had an audience after all, and she wasn't one to disappoint. She drifted back into the Immaterial, summoning more dark energies to her and adding them to the orb. It pulsed wildly as it grew in size, crackles of power arcing from it. It was twice the size it had been, its once smooth surface bubbling with the intense, nightmarish forces inside.

Flidais held it out from her, letting Nia give it an awed "Oooooh!" before she reeled back and launched it towards the mountains. It went shrieking through the sky, letting out a hellish wail as it consumed the air in its path. It collided with the mountain in a thundering magenta explosion, sending a large pile of boulders rolling down the slope. The force of the launch knocked Flidais off her feet, and she lay on the ground, catching her breath as the power of the attack had drained her far more than usual. Perhaps she had overdone it just a little.

Shakily she stood up, and Nia clapped wildly. "THAT. WAS. AWESOME!" She whooped, and Flidais took an exaggerated bow, stooping nearly to the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all -"

A deafening crash erupted from the forest behind them, cutting off any further boasting. Flidais shot up, listening intensely. Had the boulders slid all the way down the mountain? She knew the blast was powerful, but surely not that strong.

"Come on, Pixie. I think that's our cue to go home." She expected protest, but Nia just nodded, looking unnerved. So it wasn't just her. Flidais took her sister's hand and began the trek back to town, both stepping a little quicker than they normally would. Something was wrong, Flidais could feel it deep down. Some animal fear crept up her spine, and it was obvious Nia felt it too. Well, they weren't going to stick around to find-

The sound of splintering wood and the cacophony of angry birds exploded from the forest, and both sisters spun around to look in the direction of the din of destruction. The ground shook violently, the tremors intensifying with each passing second. Flidais took hold of Nia's hand, tighter this time.

"Remember the first rule of combat, Pixie?"

"Uh... always have a Plan B?"

"Mm-hm."

"Do you have a Plan B?"

"Yes. Run!"

The ground erupted into a shower of dirt, stone, and broken trees at the edge of the forest, and Flidais pulled Nia with her as she sprinted away. "That would've been my Plan A!"

They ran, ran faster than Flidais had ever run as she pulled Nia into her arms, but it wasn't fast enough. Whatever was below ground was gaining on them, and fast. At the head of the cloud of debris, Flidais saw a stone pillar, cutting through the dirt like a Sharpedo in the water. More than that, she could feel what was below them, feel it in her mind. Even in this panicked state, Flidais couldn't ignore the pure animal rage boiling beneath her feet. Their pursuer had one thing on its mind, and Flidais wasn't eager to make it a reality.

When it was inches behind them, Flidais felt a surge below her feet, and, in desperation, tossed Nia away from her, sending the Kirlia rolling away on the ground before Flidais dove in the opposite direction. She barely got away before their pursuer revealed itself in a cascade of broken stone and dirt.

With a roar that shook the heavens, an enormous Onix erupted from the earth. It was massive, a titan of a snake. With cruel, small dim eyes, the rock serpent glared at the minuscule psychic laying sprawled on the ground. It was easily the largest Onix Flidais had ever had the misfortune of seeing, at least twice the size of its kin. Its rocky armor was thick and heavy, built up over the centuries of the beast feeding off the rich minerals of the mountain. Its shell was stained on the side however by a dark, purplish smear, still faintly smoking with a whiff of burning sulfur. Well that explained where the Shadow Ball had gone. Flidais gulped, momentarily paralyzed by the sheer presence of the creature.

Then the Onix attacked, its head rocketing towards her with gaping maw, letting out another furious roar. Flidais barely rolled out of the way, scrambling to her feet as the serpent took a bite out of the earth, its jagged crystalline teeth reducing the spot she had lay to mulch.

A few seconds later it raised its head again, apparently noticing the lack of Gardevoir in its meal. It charged again, its stony armor carving great ragged gashes in the ground as it hurled itself towards Flidais. She ran, her long legs flying across the plain as death pursued, growing closer every moment. She hurled half-formed Psybeams at it, but the unstable lances bounced off harmlessly against the Onix's thick hide, only succeeding in angering it further.

The natural mental aptitude of psychics makes them remarkably good at mentally multi-tasking, and even in her terror, Flidais' conscience wouldn't leave her be. Well, here it was, her worst-case scenario. Worse than worst, actually. She had imagined a thousand different ways Nia could hurt herself, and ten-thousand ways she could hurt Nia. She had never imagined "death by enraged Onix" in all those unthinkable possibilities. She had dragged Nia into this against her better judgment, and now she was probably going to die. In fact, they both were. Worse, it was her fault. Worse still, she was powerless to stop it...

No, no that wasn't true. An unearthly calm came upon her, and she could think clearly for a moment, without picturing awful things happening to her or her sister. Terrifying as it was, that Onix was a rock-type.

And she knew how to hurt rocks.

Still running, her mind drifted to the many trees surrounding the valley. With a slipstream of rushing wind, she plucked dozens of leaves from them, sharpening them into daggers. They flew through the air towards her, surrounding her in a whirlwind of lethal foliage. Not waiting a moment longer, she threw them towards the Onix, catching the serpent in a hail of verdant vengance. The sharpened leaves cut deep into the beast's armor, leaving large ugly gashes in the stone.

But they only cut the armor.

Although she surprised the beast, catching it off guard, Flidais hadn't done any real damage. The serpent quickly realized this as well, and resumed the chase. That strange calm was gone, and Flidais kept running, now in full panic. She couldn't pull another move like that. She couldn't even work up the focus or energy to throw more clumsy Psybeams at the monster.

So, this is how it ends. This is how she dies. Even now, in her utter terror, that still small voice wouldn't stop chiding her. You did this to yourself and her and you deserve this, it mocked. Flidais could almost see the sneer on her conscience's non-existent face. At least she'd be with Firebrand again soon...

But in her time of need, salvation came to Flidais' aid. And right now, she was trying to wipe the grass stains from her dress.

***

Nia still hadn't processed what had happened. One moment, the ground was shaking, next she was running with Flidais, and the next, she was soaring through the air before she landed with a heavy 'oof' and rolled through the tall grass of the valley. Once her head mostly stopped spinning, she looked up to see Flidais running for her life from a gigantic Onix.

Well, that wasn't good, now was it?

Nia saw her sister blast the rock snake with everything she had. Pysbeam after Psybeam did nothing. She even hit it with the scariest looking Magical Leaf Nia had ever seen. Even that didn't seem to do much.

But Nia knew what might. She didn't know every Pokemon that was out there, but she was absolutely sure that Onix was a rock-type, and she also knew thew absolutely hated water. Looking at the shimmering pond, Nia had an idea.

As fast as her feet could carry her, the Kirlia ran to the pond, sprinting to the spot most opposite the snake and its prey, putting as much of the pond as she could between herself and the monster. Now, she just had to get its attention.

The question was, how? She hadn't thought of that. Wave at it? Scream? Try her own attack? That sounded promising, but what? Her own Magical Leaf wasn't exactly impressive. None of her other attacks were offensive at all...

Except Confusion. That's it! She had gotten her sister to jump in the pond with it - albeit by accident, but details - so why not the Onix? Well, there were many reasons, but she didn't dwell on them. Closing her eyes, her mind reached out to the Onix. Compared to her sister, it was remarkably easy to find. The snake's presence burned brightly in the immaterial plane, enormous and pulsing with rage. It was impossible to miss. Unlike her sister, the Onix's mind was incredibly simple, lacking any sort of mental shielding. Granted, there wasn't much to shield. Right now, almost the entirety of its mind was dedicated to punishing the obnoxious Gardevoir that had awoken it from its slumber, the small remainder dedicated to minor things like breathing and pumping its heart.

In that case, getting to do what she wanted should be relatively easy. All she wanted to do was get its attention, but how? Nia thought back to the last time she did this. Should she use the comic again? No, it was too stupid to understand that... and Nia had to admit, that was saying something. What, then? How should she get it to notice her?

As it was, that was enough. Like before, an unbidden white orb floated from her mind to the Onix's, bidding it to come to her. Unlike last time however, Nia didn't try and stop it, letting it float into the Onix's mind uninterrupted.

Suddenly the Onix stopped dead in its tracks, shaking its massive head. A new thought filled its mind, and it pictured the tiny Kirlia standing on the other side of the lake. Its rage was unflinching however, and it roared towards its new prey as ferociously as before.

Nia stood her ground, waiting by the pond's edge. The Onix hadn't changed course yet, still barreling towards her. This had to work, it had too. If it didn't... She didn't think about it.

The Onix kept coming, roaring its terrible grinding roar as it did. Its course didn't change. It stormed towards the water, dumb yet furious eyes fixed on the little psychic.

The first stone touched the water. It kept coming.

Flidais realized too late what her sister was doing and screamed in anguish. Her breath was ragged, and her legs felt like both lead and jelly, barely holding her upright, but she ran to Nia's side with every ounce of strength left in her.

The Onix slid further into the water. More of its boulders sunk beneath the water as panicked poliwags swam away.

Nia still stood her ground, but the first shivers of panic slid up her spine. This was going to work, right? Oh please, Arceus, let this work. Please, please, please...

The Onix slid fully into the pond, lowering its head to swim, an insane, triumpant grin painting its face.

Flidais kept running, nowhere near close enough to Nia to save her. That wasn't going to stop her, and though her legs screamed in protest, she didn't stop. Whether it was fear, Adrenalin, or sheer force of will, she kept going. No one was going to lay a finger on her sister, and she would do anything to make sure of that.

Then it happened.

Flidais may not have cut the Onix, but she cut fully through its armor. The water of the pond seeped into the cracks along its neck and head, touching the arid flesh beneath for the first time in centuries. The Onix screeched in pain, the water burning like acid against its unprotected body. It thrashed wildly, all thoughts of vengeance gone as it tried in vain to shake the water out. It screamed and roared, sending gallons of water onto the shore and into the air, only getting more of the horrible liquid into its cuts. It finally thrashed its ay to shore, crawling along the ground blindly as it headed to the mountains, and the far-dryer deserts beyond. Howls of pain turned to whimpers as it snaked through the valley and into the earth below, disappearing from sight.

Nia stood in shock. Wet shock, as the tidal wave the Onix produced had drenched her to the bone. At least her dress matched Flidais' now.

No sooner had she thought that than did Flidais wrap her arms around her, pulling her up in a hug before falling back on the ground, still holding her tight but breathing heavily.

"NIA! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? DID IT HURT YOU? I'LL CHISEL IT INTO A BIRD BATH IF IT DID! YOU...You..."

Flidais let go and just lay there, breathing heavily but smiling still. Now it was Nia's turn to hug her, and she did.

"That was... beyond stupid... what you did..." Flidais chided between breaths, but her smile never dimmed.

"But... It was very clever..." She lay a limp arm along Nia's back, the best she could do for a second hug right now. Nia was satisfied.

It was stupid. Phenomenally stupid. Part of Flidais was furious with Nia for putting herself in such danger... But, it was clever. And brave. Very, very brave. If anything Flidais owed her life to the Kirlia curling up on her chest.

Stupid, but brave. Never had so few words summed up the spirit of the Diamond Platoon so well. From somewhere far beyond, Flidais could swear she could see Firebrand smiling that proud smile, and for a moment, she shared it. Her little Pixie was growing up.

"You wanna go home, sis?" Nia asked, starting to smile herself.

"Yeah... Yeah I think we should call it a day. Just, give me a minute..." Flidais waited to catch her breath, and Nia was happy to let her.

***

"...And then Flidais blasted it with a huuuuuge Shadow Ball, and it fell all the way down the mountain. Then it got really mad, but we kicked its butt."

The dinner table at Driftwood Cottage was unusually crowded tonight. The Platoon's highly varied members kept highly different sleep schedules, but the whispers of Flidais's first day training had caught the attention of nearly every member not out on a mission, many of them making an effort to either stay awake or wake up in time to hear the whole thing straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

Nia was loving it. For once in a blue moon, she was the center of attention, and she was soaking it up with glee.

"So how'd you kill it?" Castabra asked, the Weavile taking a bite of the Raticate she had caught earlier that day just for this.

"We didn't kill it. I just tricked it into running into the pond. Flidais cut its armor up, so the water hurt it a bunch. Then it ran off to the mountains" Nia corrected her, before digging back into her salad.

"That's nothing to sneer at. Nice job, kiddo." Puckman, a Toxicroak, congratulated Nia beside her, ruffling her hair in a gentle noogie, careful to avoid jabbing her with the toxic spine on his wrist.

"There's just one thing I don't get." Hellfire asked, pointing his spoon at Nia. "What happened when you confused Flee?"

Nia thought for a moment, trying to figure out how best to put it. She glanced at Flidais to her other side, staring at her and slightly shaking her head.

"Weellllll, you see, first, I- MMPHH!" Flidais slapped her hand over Nia's mouth, cutting her off as the Kirlia glared at her.

"You know, t-that's really not an important part of the story, heh heh. W-who wants pie!" Flidais laughed nervously, before floating the pecha berry pie off the kitchen counter and onto the table, temporarily derailing the conversation. Everyone dug in, emptying the pie tin almost instantly. Even Nia took a generous slice, forgetting her stolen glory.

Everyone took a few bites of their pie before Hellfire stood up, clanking his spoon against his glass. Everyone stopped chewing and looked at the Infernape. The leader of the Platoon cleared his throat and raised his glass.

"I think it's fair to say that Nia has demonstrated great courage today, saving someone else at great risk to herself. That's what I want to see in someone, not just that courage, but that willingness to lay down your life for another. Firebrand knew that well, and I think he'd be proud." Hellfire paused, letting the table reflect on the founder.

After a few seconds, Hellfire, cleared his throat. "Well, bearing that in mind, I can say for certain that you, Nia, have demonstrated exactly the spirit the Diamond Platoon strives for. If you accept, I welcome you into the Platoon as a junior member. Flidais, if she accepts, will be your mentor. What do you say?"

Nia stared, dumbfounded as the Infernape stood at the end of the table from her. She dropped the fork, letting the bite of pie splat on the plate. Hellfire tilted his head, grinning slightly. "Is that a yes?"

Shakily, Nia stood up and bowed her head. "I-it is. I accept." She responded, voice slightly trembling in excitment.

"Well, by the power vested in me by... I dunno, me, I welcome you officially into the Diamond Platoon. Congrats, squirt." Hellfire walked around to where Nia sat, and she pushed her chair back, stepping out and meeting him halfway. He extended a hand, and she shook it, hesitantly at first, but quickly much more eagerly. Much of the table stood up, clapping for her as she did so. She let go, jumping into the air with a spin and a whoop.

She had done it. She was really on the team! And better yet, she was useful! This... this had been a good day. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around Hellfire, and a few moments later he returned the hug, before picking her up and placing her on his shoulders for the present team to see.

Oh yes. This was definitely a good day.


End file.
